You know there's no such thing as a free meal
And there ain't no future in British steel
No, the only thing that makes us smile
Is a joke and a laugh and a night on the tiles
No one ever gives you anything for free
Unless you start sleeping with the BBC
Nigel got a job in the city
Works in a department store
Slogging his guts out all through the week
Looking forward to the weekend score
But tonight he's gonna be somebody
Dancing his heart out with a local girl
She doesn't care whether he's got no money
There's more to life than they teach you at school
And tonight he's gonna reach somebody
Falling in love with a local girl
She doesn't care whether he's got no money
She knows he's got a heart of solid gold
Solid gold
Solid gold
You know there's no such thing
As a ticket to ride
Or satisfaction without sacrifice
The only thing that's really true about life
Is that the older you get
The more you compromise
No one's gonna hand it to you on a plate
You've gotta give give give
Before you take take take
Nigel got a job in the city
Works in a department store
Thought that his future
Was as good as sorted
But he's happy in his little world
You know there's no such thing as a free meal
And there ain't no future in British steel
No, the only thing that makes us smile
Is a joke and a laugh and a night on the tiles
No one ever gives you anything for free
Unless you start sleeping with the BBC
Nigel got a job in the city
Works in a department store
Slogging his guts out all through the week
Looking forward to the weekend score
But tonight he's gonna be somebody
Dancing his heart out with a local girl
She doesn't care whether he's got no money
There's more to life
Than they teach you at school
And tonight he's gonna reach somebody
Falling in love with a local girl
She doesn't care whether he's got no money
She knows he's got a heart of solid gold
Solid gold
Solid gold